Private investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to let the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin step aside and call for an investigation into his assets.
The call by Manasseh comes at the back of a divorce suit filed by Eugene Arhin’s wife, Gloria Assan Arhin in which she listed several properties said to have been acquired by the couple during their time of marriage.
Reactions to the divorce based on details in the suit have had people questioning whether the Director of Communications at the Presidency acquired the said properties within the last four years in his position.
According to Manasseh who is an avowed anti-corruption campaigner, he has no concern about the private and marital life of other people including state officials such as Mr. Arhin.
However, the investigative journalist in a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb, said as a Ghanaian tax payer, he is interested in knowing “when and how the public official (Eugene Arhin) acquired all these listed assets, those possibly hidden from the aggrieved wife and the possible fat contents of his bank accounts.”
He has thus urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to cause the Director of Communications at his office to step aside so that his assets can be investigated.
“That’s why the president should let him step aside so that the assets can be investigated. If the allegations are untrue, or if he can prove that he acquired them legally, he should be reinstated. In countries that corruption has been weakened, one effective way of fighting it is matching the earnings of public officials against their possessions. As for the other marital issues, the two parties and the court can deal with them. It’s not anybody else’s business,” he said.
Meanwhile, Eugene Arhin in a Facebook post has reacted to the suit and has specifically denied the allegations made against him by his wife including the properties stated.
“I have seen a divorce petition filed by my wife, which has been deliberately leaked all over social media obviously to achieve a certain effect. I have still not been served with these court processes, and, upon receipt, my lawyers will respond accordingly. Every marriage has challenges, and such challenges should not be addressed in the court of public opinion. I will not, for the sake of my children, and for the dignity of my wife, engage in any public banter. In as much as many of the claims levelled against me are baseless and untrue, especially with respect to properties and physical abuse, I will hold my peace and deal with them in the Court of Law,” he stated.
Gloria Arhin claims in the suit that during the pendency of the marriage with Eugene Arhin, through their joint effort they acquired and developed some properties including:
1. A five-bedroom residential property (which was intended to be the matrimonial home of the parties) situate on a two plot of land lying at East Legon in Accra.
2. A four-storey building comprising 16 separate flats/apartments situated on a parcel of land at Bubiashie in Accra which land was acquired from a family friend of Petitioner.
3. An ongoing storey building comprising of 16 separate flats/apartments situate at Tuba-Weija in Accra.
4. A storey building comprising apartments erected on a parcel of land situate at Teshie in Accra.
5. A residential property situated at AU village at La in Accra.
6. A residential building situated at Senya Breku in the Central Region where the Respondent comes from.
7. A waterfront residential property/resort situated at Ada Foah in the Greater Accra region.
8. 3K barbering shop at Teshie.
For moveable properties, Gloria Arhin states that they have:
1. One Ford F150 vehicle
2. Toyota Avalon vehicle with registration number GR 7108-18
3. Toyota Lexus vehicle with registration number GE 4646-18
4. Toyota Tundra vehicle with registration number GE 7108-18
5. Hyundai Elantra vehicle with registration number GE 4646-19
Gloria Assan Arhin is among other things praying the Court for 10 reliefs:
1. That the said marriage be dissolved.
2. That the Petitioner be granted custody of the three children of the marriage, with visiting right to the Respondent.
3. That the five-bedroom residential house situated at East Legon be settled in favour of the Petitioner.
4. That eight of the apartments/flats in the building situated at Bubiashie (representing 50%) be settled in favour of the Petitioner.
5. That eight of the apartments/flats in the building situated at Tuba-Weija (representing 50%) be settled in favour of the Petitioner.
6. That vehicles with registration numbers GE 4646-18 and GE 7108-18 be settled in favour of the Petitioner.
7. The Petitioner be declared a joint owner in equal share with the Respondent in all the other properties acquired in the course of the marriage.
8. That the Respondent be ordered to pay the Petitioner the sum of two million cedis (GH¢2,000,000).
9. An order for the Respondent to maintain the children, pay the school fees and health bills of the children of the marriage.
10. That the Respondent be ordered to pay costs of and incidental to this suit.
Read below the full writ from Gloria Assan Arhin:
